Male Historic Names:

  1. Ebenezer
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "stone of help"
    • Description:

      Ebenezer is the name of a biblical place --the stone set up by Samuel to mark his victory over the Philistines--rather than a person. It was adopted by the British Puritans as a first name and then exported to America, where it had some early popularity, even entering the Top 1000 in the 1880s.
  2. Eberhard
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "brave boar"
    • Description:

      Much more niche and obviously Germanic than its anglicised cousins Everard and Everett, but with the same strong meaning. Eberhard is hardly ever used in the US - it's only made the charts once so far, back in 1918.
  3. Edgar
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "wealthy spearman"
    • Description:

      Edgar is an Old English name historically associated with the tenth century English king known as Edgar the Peaceful. There was also a King Edgar of Scotland.
  4. Edmund
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "fortunate protector"
    • Description:

      The sophisticated Edmund and its nearly-identical French twin Edmond are coming out of mothballs now that Edward, inspired by Twilight, is once again a hot name.
  5. Edward
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "wealthy guardian"
    • Description:

      Unlike perennials William, John and James, Edward is a classic that moves in and out of fashion. This royal Anglo-Saxon standard has benefited in recent years from the popularity of the hot hero of the vampire sensation Twilight — Edward Cullen — who has given his name a new infusion of cool.
  6. Egbert
    • Origin:

      Anglo-Saxon
    • Meaning:

      "bright edge of a sword"
    • Description:

      Egbert still suffers somewhat from being used as a stereotypical name for nerds and aristocrats. It would be a surprising choice, but with its edgy meaning and dusty charm, possibly it's so beyond cool that it's...actually kind of cool?
  7. Erik
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Eric, Old Norse
    • Meaning:

      "eternal ruler"
    • Description:

      While substituting a C for a K is a modern trend, Erik is in fact the traditional spelling of the name, derived from the Old Norse Eiríkr and introduced to the English speaking world in the Anglo-Saxon period. Now, Erik is popular in Scandinavia and throughout much of Central and Eastern Europe, where it ranks in the Top 100 in Germany, Slovenia, Hungary, and more.
  8. Eustace
    • Origin:

      English from Greek
    • Meaning:

      "stable"
    • Description:

      Eustace was originally popularized by St. Eustace, who was born a Norman nobleman and is said to have been converted to Christianity by seeing a crucifix between the antlers of the deer he was hunting. It was introduced to England by the Normans, and can be found in medieval legend. In literature the name appears in the person of Eustace Clarence Scrubb in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia.
      The image of Eustace today is as sedate and stuffy as the monocled Eustace Tilly character on The New Yorker magazine covers. Its diminutive Stacy became a unisex hit.
  9. Eustache
    • Eafa
      • Eahlmund
        • Ebles
          • Edzo
            • Eochaid
              • Eoppa
                • Erad
                  • Eudes
                    • Felix
                      • Origin:

                        Latin
                      • Meaning:

                        "happy, fortunate"
                      • Description:

                        Felix is one of those ancient but nontraditional names for boys that have come into favor over the past few decades, a favorite of parents who want a masculine name with history and heft that breaks ranks with the standard Franks and Freds. Felix is also an international darling, ranking in the Top 100 in several European and English-speaking countries.
                    • Fergus
                      • Origin:

                        Scottish and Irish
                      • Meaning:

                        "man of force"
                      • Description:

                        In Celtic lore, Fergus was the ideal of manly courage, making it a charming, slightly quirky Scottish and Irish favorite.
                    • Fernando
                      • Origin:

                        Spanish and Portuguese variation of Ferdinand
                      • Meaning:

                        "bold voyager"
                      • Description:

                        Can you hear the drums Fernando? Although 58% of Nameberries prefer Ferdinand to Fernando, the Iberian variant has a softer, more romantic feel that makes it a better fit with all those Javiers, Lorenzos and Matteos.